1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image pickup apparatus and more particularly to a photo-electric converting type image sensing apparatus which is often used in combination with an object illuminating device.
2. Description of the Related Art
The sensitivity of image sensors which have been used for the image pickup apparatuses of the above stated kind is not always sufficient for image sensing conditions. In the event of an image pickup operation in a dark place, insufficient sensitivity of the image sensor is compensated for by illuminating an image sensing object with an illuminating device. Such illumination has been also used as an auxiliary light for softening the shadow of the object.
However, a photographing (or image pickup) operation using an illuminating device (or a flash device) is not always performed under dark conditions. Further, on some occasions, a contribution from coexisting stationary (ambient) light is not ignorable even in the event of photographing with flash because of low intensity of the flash light due, for example, to a high reflection factor of the object or the like.
Under such conditions, mere white balance adjustment of the image pickup apparatus solely for an ambient light or solely for the flash light hardly permits accurate color reproduction.